Week 4 - Midfielders

Firstly, it seems Yahoo have made changes and are making next weekend Week 4 instead of the usual method of leaving this week as a blank Week 4 and next week Week 5. I've changed all my previous posts to reflect this.

Now, on to Midfielders...

Gerrard (Home to Burnley) – In my opinion Gerrard is the premium Week 5 pick, with the best fixture and the dream combination of taking all free kicks, corners & penalties for his team. Scores points whether he (or the team) plays well, he was the first name in my team and I’d expect over 95% of all managers to have him in for Week 5.

Lampard (Away to Stoke) – Never write him off. He’s been disappointing so far & he’s lost some corners/freekicks to Deco/Malouda/Ballack/Drogba so with a tricky fixture and high cost it’s easy to completely discount him. Wouldn’t it be typical if he popped up with a goal & an assist at Stoke? It’s often very difficult to fit both Gerrard & Lampard in without gutting your team but thanks to Tuncay this is one week you could probably afford both without total destruction, so if you feel Frank could be due to break out then go for it.

Matt Taylor (Away to Pompey) – Bolton have zero points. Portsmouth have zero points. It’s not going to be a game for the purists, but Taylor is one of those players who can rack up points in any situation. He’s pricey but like Gerrard he takes everything for Bolton and he could easily rack up 15 points without a goal. If you’re a bit short on cash to afford Gerrard & Lampard then 1 + Taylor could be a good compromise.

Young (Away to Birmingham) – In past seasons Ashley Young has threatened to become as valuable as the Top 2 in this list, but he hasn’t quite got there yet. However, there are signs he’s getting back to form, he’s taking penalties (although he missed a vital one in the Europa Cup) taking free kicks & corners and doesn’t have the worst fixture. The thing is he’s pricey and there are other options cheaper/with better fixtures. I think he’s a bit of a gamble and not many managers will go for him, so if he performs well it could really pay off.

Pederson (Home to Wolves) – MGP is a funny player. He can cross, he can shoot, he takes corners & freekicks but in the past couple of seasons he hasn’t got close to living up to his potential of 2006 when Man U were rumoured to be interested (he was also a great YFF points scorer back then). He’s started this season a bit better, Wolves at home is a pretty handy fixture and he looks really good value at under £11million for Week 5.

Arshavin (Away to Man City) - Expensive, but as we've seen in his short time in England he saves his best performances/goals for the big games and Man City is a big game for Arsenal. Again if you fancy something a big different to Gerrard & Lampard then he's a real alternative

Malouda (Away to Stoke) - A bit of a curve ball but Malouda is someone I'm seriously considering. He's a had a poor start to the season but Anchelotti is using rotation and seeing as he missed out vs Burnley I expect him to start next weekend. He will have a big game at some point and although he's not getting forward as much due to the switch to 442 he is under £10million so could be a bargain.

Dempsey (Home to Everton) - Demsey is one of those players who will score goals. Fulham are looking a bit flaky but I expect this game to be a score draw & I really think he could have a good weekend as he continues his role playing just behind the main striker. Another option I'm considering at under £10million.

Benayoun (Home to Burnley) - Great fixture, so if you're looking for a midfielder around the £8million mark then Yossi could be your man as I expect him to start. He'll get himself in to great positions and will have the chances to create & score goals as I expect Liverpool to run rampant. The only reason I probably won't get him in is the risk of Liverpool overload with Gerrard, Torres & Johnson already in my team.

Gomez (Home to West Ham) - Cheap, home fixture, taking set pieces, taking shots from distance, returning his value+...need I go on? It's very likely that he'll be in my team for Week 4.

Rodwell (Away to Fulham) - Great value option if you're struggling for cash and you're confident he'll start...he's better than a standard filler as he'll get involved in most of the good things Everton do (as can be seen from his average over 5 points per game) and as I've already mentioned I think they'll be goals in his fixture.

So they're all the middies I'm considering. Do you think I've missed anyone? Please comment below & expect Strikers to follow tomorrow or Monday.

Cheers,
AM